
Christmas wines? We have the recommendations
Portugal is the country to turn to for Christmas wines. They make some stunning fortified wines, very suitable for the winter season and, of course,

Portugal is the country to turn to for Christmas wines. They make some stunning fortified wines, very suitable for the winter season and, of course,

I drank an excellent Beaujolais nouveau on November 21st, and I’m sure many of our readers did, too. There is a cautious optimism among Beaujolais

Biodynamic agriculture turns 100 this year. It was in 1924 that Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, gave his famous lectures to a group of

The pinotage grape turns 100 years old this year, as we note in another post. This is obviously a good reason to celebrate with a

Congratulations to the South African grape pinotage, which turns 100 this year. Pinotage was created in 1924 by Professor Perold who crossed two grapes, cinsault

It is really too early to ask if 2024 will be a year for Vintage Port, as we learned on our Douro Valley tour recently.

In Europe, the 2024 harvest has just finished and in South Africa the growing season for vintage 2025 is underway. The industry body SAWIS forecasts

The OIV (The International Organisation of Vine and Wine) was founded 100 years ago. Congratulations! OIV fulfils an essential function in the world of wine.

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), a kind of UN for wine, held this year’s congress in Dijon in October. The OIV sets

Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by former emergency room doctor Larry Turley. Larry grew up on a farm in Tennessee, and he brought

Like many other wine countries in 2024, Germany has struggled against the forces of the weather. The overall harvest volume was not much lower than

The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” (roughly “a company

— Are we drowning in labels? — The wine world is being flooded with labels. I recently read that Champagne Bollinger was awarded the label

Local grapes are on the rise in many parts of Europe. This is also noticeable in Mallorca, an island that is so far better known

That France has the world’s largest production of oak barrels will come as no surprise. Most of the world’s wine regions buy French oak barrels

Mealybugs are a feared enemy in the vineyards in California, Oregon, South Africa, and other places. These tiny bugs are dangerous because they spread the

There is something very special about hearing Romana Echensperger talk about wine. She is not only one of the few to hold the prestigious title

Some countries are primarily associated with one grape variety, such as malbec in Argentina and sauvignon blanc in New Zealand. However, this latter country makes

More and more fungus-resistant hybrids are being allowed in France. Or perhaps a better wording: lesser prone to disease. Four new varieties, two whites and

Everyone who reads the Brief is probably more or less a wine enthusiast. We are, of course. We have been called geeks and it has
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